On March 28 and 29 2015, street artist Hanksy threw one of the most fun pop-up exhibits in recent memory. Located at 104 Delancey Street in Manhattan, the exhibit was called “Best of the Worst,” and it was housed in a vacant building on the Lower East Side.

Mile E. Coyote by Hanksy

Whereas a lot of street artists (and I’m not going to name names otherwise we’ll be here until next week) have tasted a tiny bit of success becoming Instagram-famous, their art started to suck (even more than it already did in some cases) while their egos exploded, I think Hanksy really kicked it up a notch and took it to the next level for “Best of the Worst.”

Fake It Till You Can Fake It On A Larger Scale (Various Artists)

For those who need a primer on Hanksy, I first happened upon his art on the streets of New York in 2011, where he superimposed actor Tom Hanks’ face over a rat, an image made famous by the street artist collective Banksy. It was extremely clever and I remember being delighted each time I ran into a new piece as he mixed street art, celebrity culture and puns in a way that I’d never seen before.

There was art, not only by Hanksy, but by a host of hot street artists (such as Handed Wave, Frank Ape, Magda Love, Clint Mario, Gilf!, Hue, CB23, Don’t Fret, Lexi Belle, Nda, Elle, Roycer, Joseph Meloy, Beau, Claw Money, Tony Depew, and Col Walnuts) in a gallery within a gallery, appropriately called the ‘Gag-osian Gallery,’ but also, a DJ spun tunes, there was a photo booth, video games, a skateboarding ramp, a balloon artist who was making balloons shaped like penises for guests, free beer and dumplings!

Hanksy – Best of the Worst

Approximately 20 Hanksy originals were on display and very inexpensive prints were for sale as well.

Get Rich or Nye Tryin’

Drake-O Malfoy

Dicki Minaj

Doing It For the Likes

Because Hanksy’s identity is not disclosed to the public, he was able to wander about the gallery anonymously to enjoy seeing the fruits of his labor without being mobbed for selfies. He told me that it took about a week to set up and once the show is over, he has just a few days to take it all down. On the final day of the show, I was filming an Instagram video of the exhibit (“for 10 likes,” I joked, and as of press time, I was not wrong) and Hanksy reminded me that his suggestion to me via Twitter inspired me to sign up for an account. So for all of my great and not so great Instagram pix, blame Hanksy! Follow us both, just click on the links and hit follow!

Hamuel L. Jackson

To all the street artists out there that are just taking the most recognized images of famous icons and doing little to alter the image and then claiming the work as their own, “Best of the Worst” should serve as a nice little reminder of what bringing your A-Game looks like, or in this case – your H game. Well done, Hanksy!

I don’t know his music and from what you see in the scandal mags, Justin Bieber seems like a total douche bag. However, hotness is hotness. The Beebz’ Calvin Klein ads are on a massive wall on Houston and Layfayette in New York at the moment, so for all my ladies and gays, here you go.

In Cyclicscape, Mariko Mori’s sculptural works play with the infinite loop of the Möbius strip as a visualization of our universe’s never-ending renewal of invisible energy. Futuristic and ethereal, the large-scale aluminum and stainless steel works seem to transcend their physical matter. With no beginning, middle, or end, the forms symbolize an eternal cycle of existence — of nature and the universe in perpetual motion.

Partial Gallery View of Mariko Mori at Sean Kelly

I copied that entire paragraph from the press release because nobody reads this shit anyway.

On March 23, 2015, Sweden’s Erik Hassle played a sold-out show at Pianos in New York. The show was announced at the last minute, making it even more impressive that fans packed the house for the criminally underrated pop/soul singer. Erik Hassle is currently supporting New Zealand’s Broods (see video I shot at one of their first ever US shows here) and decided to book a solo gig where he showcased several new songs in front of an adoring crowd, which also included his parents and many of his friends from Sweden. Erik Hassle has a hell of a voice, very soulful and his dance moves on stage will make you fall in love with him.

I would normally be posting a video I took at the show, but sadly the Youtube police are after me at the moment for copyright infringement – despite the fact that I don’t make a penny from my Youtube account AND I post concert videos with the intention of turning my readers onto music they probably would not be exposed to without my site. Thanks for sticking up for me (and all the others that are in a similar position) bands, managers, etc – NOT! Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?!

Erik Hassle – Pianos

So in the absence of a live version of “Innocence Lost,” which I would have loved to have posted, you should definitely check out that song. It’s amazing! If you want to see the video, you can come over to my place. Ha! As an alternate plan, for my international readers, you can see a little clip of “Fuck The Pain Away” on my Instagram account. In addition, you can hear samples of many Erik Hassle tracks on his official website (link will open in a new window). Before his final song of the night “No Words,” Erik mentioned that the song will be available as a single in the next few weeks, so be on the look out for that song. It was great! Follow him on his Soundcloud page for updates.

Erik Hassle is supporting Broods on the following dates, so make sure you don’t miss his set (because it will likely be as good if not better than the main act).

2015 got off to a slow start musically, but as the ice starts to melt in New York, Toronto’s Young Empires are heating things up. Earlier this year, in association with Coors Altitude, their first new song in quite a while, the ultra infectious “So Cruel,” became a Youtube sensation, chalking up close to a million views. See video below and you will see why it’s so popular.